Sandra Carabetta Washburn

Sandra Carabetta Washburn, 82, passed away on March 26, 2024 at her home in Davidson, NC, after a long and fearless battle with ovarian cancer. She spent her last days with her adoring family gathered around her, in the home she loved. 

Born on March 25, 1942 in Springfield, MA to Leona Messier and Rocco Michael Carabetta, Sandy graduated from Springfield Classical High School and went on to receive a BS and MS in mathematics from Florida Atlantic University, one of only two women in the math program at that time. She was a math lecturer at Pfeiffer University, UNC-Charlotte, and UNC-Pembroke and after many years of teaching, she discovered her true calling - she was meant to be a leader. 

With dedication, many long hours, and a lot of hard work, Sandy developed and grew a successful software training and consulting firm, Visual South, Inc. located in Concord, NC. In true Sandy fashion, she found the best people, encouraged and supported them, taught them everything she could, and then stood back and allowed them to flourish. In a time when most people change jobs every few years, many of her employees had been with her for 15 years or more, primarily because she treated everyone with the respect, caring, and understanding she always felt they deserved. She truly enjoyed her work and the people she worked with, agreeing to slow down only after being diagnosed with cancer in 2017. She remained CEO until the time of her death. Despite a busy professional schedule, she always found time to share her knowledge, serving as Board President of The Carolinas Concert Association in Charlotte, as well as many others, and was a frequent and consistent benefactor to the arts, animal, and nature charitable foundations. 

Sandy loved the outdoors and could find something to admire in every animal. Few grandmothers would enthusiastically agree to hold a grandchild’s pet rat or prickly bearded dragon and fewer still would eagerly plan outings to things like Davidson College’s annual reptile day or muddy marsh walks with Davidson Lands Conservancy. Her garden was designed solely with birds and pollinators in mind and she always delighted in seeing her ‘pet’ black snake, Samantha, reappear each spring. She drank coffee every morning on her back porch so she could watch birds come to her many feeders, cuddle one of her dogs, and simply be grateful for the amazing life she’d been given. More adventurous than many half her age, she was eager to do anything in nature, whether hiking wildflower meadows in Colorado or snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef. She was unfailingly optimistic - even when she was struggling with her health - her glass was always full. 

Her many friends knew her as a kind and caring listener, an enthusiastic dinner conversationalist, an avid bridge player, and most of all, a loving friend who always had time for others. She touched so many lives with her ready smile, her kindness, and her generosity. Even near the end of her illness, she brought her homemade-with-love brownies for the incredible nurses in the infusion center at Presbyterian Hospital to thank them for caring for her so well. Hospice, who allowed her to live out her final days at home with dignity and without pain, all commented on her kindness, a testament to her grace until the end. 

Though Sandy thrived being the president and CEO of a successful business, she also knew that the most important things in life weren’t things or accomplishments, but relationships. For many years her daughter was her closest relationship - a relationship they both counted as their greatest blessing and one she shared with her grandson, Everett. When Sandy met and married Harry, however, the small family grew to include a new daughter, son, daughter-in-law, and three granddaughters she instantly claimed as her own. She absolutely adored bringing together this big, boisterous, affectionate, loving family, and being able to create lifelong memories with everyone was one of her greatest joys. Listening to her adult ‘kids’ laughing as though they’d been friends since childhood, watching her grandchildren grow and thrive, and bestowing unconditional love wherever it was needed brought her such happiness. She was small, but her impact was mighty. 

Sandy is survived by her loving husband, Harold Gilmore Karn, Jr. (Harry); her daughter, Christine Washburn Nemechek, and beloved grandson, Everett Nemechek; stepson, Harold Gilmore Karn III (Trey) and his wife, Neal Cecil Karn; stepdaughter, Alexandra Kristine Francoise Karn (Ali); granddaughters, Catherine Karn, Anne Hamilton Karn, and Hattie Karn; and brothers Rocco Carabetta, Jr. and Stephen Carabetta. 

A celebration service will be held at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Davidson, NC, on Saturday, April 20th, at 1:00 p.m., followed by a reception. We invite her friends and colleagues to join us to honor her memory and remarkable legacy. 

“And though she be but little, she is fierce.” - William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act III, Scene ii